Mission Statement of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee

Scientific meetings like the 2021 RCOP-ICCRE bring together a variety of people working on
related topics, facilitating networking and career development and shaping the culture and
ethics of the fields represented. In addition, such meetings advance scientific and engineering
knowledge, facilitate public understanding of science, and engage with policy makers. The
RCOP-ICCRE recognizes that diversity among their organizational membership and conference
attendees promotes better science by broadening viewpoints, questions, and problem-solving
skills, thereby furthering the goals of the meeting and its affiliated scientific societies. The
benefits of diversity will not be realized, however, unless organizers and members work to
welcome, value, and include representation and perspectives from all meeting attendees
(diversity and inclusion) and remove barriers to participation (equity). A focus on equity,
diversity, and inclusion also fulfills moral and ethical responsibilities to treat everyone with
dignity and include them in scientific spaces from which many are historically and continually
excluded.

We, the RCOP-ICCRE’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, are
committed to promoting these priorities as a goal of achieving and sustaining integrity and
excellence throughout our scientific community. We firmly believe we can best promote integrity
and excellence by recruiting and retaining a diverse group of scientists into permafrost and cold
regions related science and engineering fields. We will do that by creating a climate of respect
and inclusion to support their success at our meeting and beyond. We aim to foster equity,
diversity, and inclusion at the RCOP-ICCRE through a number of initiatives. These include
drafting and helping enforce a code of conduct, providing training on EDI-related issues in
STEM, removing barriers to participation, and assessing the success and need for improvement
in the Conference’s EDI-related efforts. These values and efforts are recognized and supported
fully by the RCOP-ICCRE conference and respective organizational leadership at all levels.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee:

Alex J. Webster (Co-Chair; University of Alaska, Fairbanks; University of New Mexico)
Arial J. Shogren (Co-Chair; Michigan State University)
Peter C. Griffith (Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)